January Rings

It's more then a week into the new year and lots going on!  In weather news, we've been -6 degrees with a foot of blowing snow, now we're 47 degrees with pouring rain--very unsettling.  I spotted and rescued a kitty who was homeless and starving during the storm.  I'm now weighing the idea of introducing her to the others.  I've worked in the studio and am ticking things off the to-do list, as well as trying to create new designs for inventory.  Here's a sampling of what's going on.

This is a commission piece with a 4mm rhodolite garnet gemstone and silver and 18k gold balls.

I thought I'd continue making a few rings and this one is still in process.  I've placed a little 3mm ruby in the setting, but am not sure if I will choose a different stone.  What do you think?

And then I thought to do a simple all silver version. 

So much more to do--getting back to work!
 

This and That--Filling in the Blanks

This week finds me working in all directions.  Maybe not the most inspired way to create, but with 3 upcoming shows in November, I'm making things to fill in the holes in my inventory.  I've laid it all out to assess--and yes, I'm in a bit of a mess. 

 

After taking a visual inventory, I realized I needed some important pieces like reticulated earrings with stones, some flower chandelier earrings, and more bauble rings.  So, I set out on my mission and here's what I've done:

New reticulated earrings with carnelian cabochons & black onyx cabochons.  

Two new pairs of sterling silver tiny daisy drop earrings.

And three new bauble rings, L to R: 

 

4mm Tsavorite garnet bezeled in fine silver; sterling silver and 18k gold; 3mm blue sapphire with overlap.

A few fun pieces are in the works too.  Be sure to check out next week's blog to see!

Autumn--Catching Up

I don't know where the summer went!  But it's fall now and it's been too much time since I last wrote.  So much has gone on--shows, sales, and events--with much more to come.  I'm back to weekly updates and goings on.  I'll share some of the commissions I was lucky enough to create this summer, as well as new directions for my jewelry. 

Here's a  selection of rings that I'm loving!  I call them bauble rings and are available with most any stone and made just for you! 

One Down...

I've been busy, busy, but am back in the studio and ticking the to-dos off the list.  First one done is a commission for a reticulated cuff.  She really liked the overall design of this cuff:

But wanted to have different colored stones, no gold accents, and possibly 2 or more stones.  So I sketched a few designs--one with 2 stones and one with 3 stones:

The client liked the 3 stone design, so with a few modifications, I started the bracelet.  Here's the cuff formed with the selected 3 rose cut, rhodolite garnet stones.

And here's the finished cuff:

Compared to the drawing--a pretty good match!

More to come soon!

New Photos

I am so excited!  I finally had some professional pics taken and they look great.  Thank you Robert Diamante for doing such a beautiful job.  These will be used for show applications and advertising.  Here are some of the flower series: 

What do you think?


And here's some from the reticulation series:
 

 
I can't wait to see them printed on 8 1/2 x 11 inch photo paper--they are going to shine!

Back at It

I made it back in the studio this weekend and it felt good!  After receiving my metal order a week and a half ago, I decided it was time to clean the studio--I couldn't see the top of any of my benches.  So after being a lump without motivation, I jumped back in with both feet and created these new cuff bracelets.  Yesterday was a little rough, but today really pulled things together. 

Here's the first cuff shown in 2 varied positions.  It is reticulated silver with a sunburst variation soldered on.  Silver balls were added for dimension to the overlap.  I like the movement the lines create around the wrist.

Notice the little oval in the back of the cuff--that's where I put my hallmark and sterling stamp.  I've found that sometimes the metal is so heavily textured you can't see the stampings, so this way it adds a design element and solves the reading inability. 

The second cuff is similar to others--it has the split front overlap, but here I added some silver balls and one 4mm fine silver bezel cup to the overlap.  It was difficult to decide what color stone to use, but ultimately I went with a red garnet.  It's translucency shows off the lovely red color, while maintaining a simple, uncluttered look. 

I have another exciting piece in process, but decided it was time to stop for the night.  I'll keep working on it this week and hope to announce it soon.  Happy Halloween!

Similar But Different

Here it is--the latest cuff bracelet! 

What do you think?!  The big difference with this piece is the metal--I used pre-reticulated silver which is more highly textured than what I've been creating; and while I like it, I do feel it is busier looking and I didn't want to embellish it as much.  So, I decided to keep it simple.  I used some large silver balls that I lightly hammered and soldered them along the seam line.  I then added 5 tall pieces of silver that I mounted bezel settings on.  I set four 3mm rhodolite garnets and one 3mm amethyst.   Here is another view--note the height of the stones, as well as the varying height of the balls.

To achieve the final finish, I brushed the bracelet with several different wire brushes, which allows the metal to shimmer and shine. 

And that's all for now.   

Prelude to Betty

Betty's ring that is.  I have my next commission ready to go and thought for good measure, I should do a "test" ring.  So that's exactly what I did.  I chose a lovely faceted rhodolite garnet and worked in sterling and gold to get reaquainted with the process and here is the end result:

I used 22k yellow gold for the bezel and hammer set the 8 x 10mm garnet.  The balls around the bezel are 24k yellow gold and just glow against the brushed sterling silver. 

I'm geared up and ready to go with the commission.  Look for pictures soon!

Flowers for Inspiration

I thought I'd show you some of the new flower and leaf jewelry I designed over the weekend.  I always look to nature to give me a little push in the designing direction.  Here's a pair of silver dapped flowers that I stacked back to back and dangled an amethyst bead.  

Another pair of flower earrings, these with silver balls soldered in the centers and the petals are curled out--very graceful and light.

And these little cuties.  They are sterling with 24k gold centers.  They are about 1/2 inch in diameter and have stud backs--perfect little touch of summer. 

And finally a couple pairs of joined leaf earrings.  Each pair is sterling with a bead drop--the left with green tourmaline and the right with rhodolite garnets.  

Happy Fourth of July

What a great 4th of July weekend!  The weather has been spectacular and I've been lucky enough to enjoy time with my sister and her family, my parents, and my husband.  A great day started with a morning at Grimes Cove Beach and then a delicious barbeque at Mom and Dad's.  I was also lucky enough to have a little time in the studio to create some fireworks of my own.  Here's some new pieces in the reticulation series. 

First, I made a new circle link bracelet.  It has four 1 1/2 inch circles that I reticulated and embellished with some silver bars and balls.  I shaped them into soft rounded forms that curve around the wrist and then linked them together.  A simple hook clasp is easily closed by the wearer.  

Here's a detail of one of the circles.

I've been very fortunate to have sold a few things so far this summer and have had some requests for more reticulated rings and round pendants.  So I took the opportunity to create these new pieces:

a sterling ring with silver and gold ball accents and a 3mm rhodolite garnet gemstone.  The shank was reticulated first and then formed.  I then added some of the balls and continued adding more as I modified the design. 

and this silver pendant with swirls and balls and 6mm blue topaz cabochon.  It will be suspended from a silver cable neckwire.  I really like the way the swirls extend beyond the circle and add a new dimension to the piece.  They remind me of ocean waves. 

Hoping to get a little more studio time tomorrow.  More work in process.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I started the holiday weekend with half a day off spent in the studio before the gala opening at the gallery on Saturday night.  During that time, I continued working on my reticulation series and came up with this design: 

It's mostly silver with a few gold balls, one 3mm blue sapphire gemstone, and three blue sapphire briolette bead drops.  The pendant piece is joined to a faceted blue chalcedony necklace.  It's a little different from the other pieces in the reticulation series and I'm pleased with the final result.

The opening went well Saturday night and launched us into what we hope will be a busy and exciting summer season.  I got some great feedback about my new designs and loved hearing what everyone was attracted to. 

Today, I started the day in the studio, playing with some tuquoise cuff links.  My husband always suggests making more mens jewelry--so I went with it and created these hammered 3/4 inch circles with 10mm turquoise cabochons.  They are highly polished and shimmer and reflect the light beautifully.

I continued working into the early afternoon on a new sterling ring.  It has a wide, low dome shank that is lightly reticulated.  A 10mm round garnet is  hammer set in fine silver and retains the subtle shimmer of the hammered texture.  Each side is embellished with two sterling and one 24k gold ball.  It's classic yet contemporary and wears well.   

That's all the studio projects for today.  I spent the rest of the glorious afternoon in my gardens--the weeds have definitely taken over!